Pencil



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Feb. 24), 1923..

' C. SONNEBORN.

PENCIL.

FILED MAE.2,1922.

wm MN W W M MN .www @w www dent of West Pittsburgh` Patented Feb.. U, W..

cEaEEEs soNNEEOEE, or wEs'r PITTSBURGH, PENE-'saltuama PENCIL.

Application filed. March 2, 1922. Serial No. 540,535.

To all wiz-om, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARLEs SoNNEBoRN, a. citizen of the United States, and a resiin the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pencils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pencils and particularly to that type in which the lead may be released and fed by gravity or forcibly extruded by suitable mechanism housed within the body or holder portion thereof.

The objects of the invention are to provide a pencil of the character referred to which is simple in construction, easyto operate, economical to manufacture, which will not readily get out of order, and which is neat in appearance.

The special objects of the invention are to provide a pencil in which the entire feeding mechanism may be withdrawn as a unit from the body or holder, one in which the abutment for the inner end of the lead has a centering action upon the lead yet permits independent longitudinal movement thereof, one in which the pressure upon the pencil point will not cause the lead to be pressed backwardly into the holder or displace the 'abutment for feeding the lead, one in which the lead will be gripped throughout an appreciable length to assure its stability during use, one in which the lead may be quickly fed or adjusted under the influence of gravity, if desired, Without in any way interfering with the action of the means for forcibly feeding the-same, one in which the several parts readily accommodate themselves to various relative positions assumed thereby, one in which the extremity of -the body or holder adjacent the tip is specially formed to accurately center the lead when used in conjunction with certain types of sharpening devices, and one in which the severalparts are uniquely maintained in assembled relation.

A further special object of the invention.

is to provide a pencil of the type mentioned which will 'secure a very accurate adjustment of the lead, maintain it absolutely stable after adjustment, and at the same time permit the employment of a non-metallic holder portion without rendering the proportions so cumbersome asto make the same unadapted to the use of artists and draftsmen or to fail to appeal to such class of users on account of `its appearance or feel.

will more readily appear when taken in connection with the following ldescription and the appended claims.

lin the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a central longitudinal sectional view with parts in elevation illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 a transverse sectional View taken on the line Il[ll of Fig. l.

IThe preferred embodiment of the pencil comprises a hollow body provided with the holder portion 1 and tip portion 2 both of which are bored or hollowed out throughout their entire length. These portions are connected by means of a ,cylindrical tube 3 which Hts into enlarged bores in each member extending a substantial distance from the joint 4f formed therebetween. rllhe tip 2and the tube 3 are preferably formed of metal and are rigidly connected as by soldering. is preferably made of wood, fiber or other similar` material more desirable `for such The holder portion l, however,

rlihese and other objects of the invention purpose and may be securely a'ttachedto the exterior of the tube 3 The bore of the tube 3 corresponds to that of the holder portion so .that the hollow body thus formed is providedwith a bore of substantially uniform size throughout the greater portion of its'length. The diamj eter of the Vbore within the tip portion, however, is slightly less than that of the holder portion and is provided with an annular shoulder 5 adjacent its Hared open end 6 to serve as a limiting stop for the inner end of the longitudinally lslidable barrel presently to be described. [The outer eX- tremity of the bore of the holder l is enlarged as shown at 7 forming the annular shoulder 8.

Telescopically mounted within the hollow body above described, and to such external diameter as to snugly t the bore-of the tip 2 is a cylindrical barrel 9, the outer end of which y normally protrudes slightly beyond the holder l. 4Fixed to the exterior of the barrel 9 as by soldering, and closing the end of the enlarged bore'7 is a collar 10 between which and the shoulder 8 is interposed al coil spring 1l 'surrounding the barrel 9 for constantly urging the same outwardly, and in order to retain the parts and limit their outside travel an apertured ferrule l2 by gluing.

threaded'upon the end of the holder 1 embraces the barrel and contacts'v the said collar.

Attached to the inner end of the barrel 9, preferably by soldering at 13, is a clutch 14. This clutch consists of a substantially cylindrical piece of spring metal which is slotted at 15 throughout the greater portion of its length whereby to form a plurality of gripping jaws 16, the exterior surface of which gradually tapers outwardly as indicated at 17 and cooperates with the inclined open end 6 of the tip 2 for forcing the jaws closely together whenever the barrel 9 is moved longitudinally under the influence of spring 11. The slots'15 are wide enough to permitthe jaws to besprung together sufficiently when the lead 18 is removed to permit the clutch to be bodily withdrawn with the barrel 9 and its associated parts to-y wards the right, as viewed in Fig. l1.

Located at a suitable point upon the interior of the barrel 9 is a lug 19 which engages exterior threads or spiral grooves 20 on the exterior of the hollow sleeve 21 disposed therein. This lug is preferably in the form of a nut soldered or otherwise suitably fixed to the barrel. Sleeve 21 is closed at one end and is provided with a non-circular aperture 22 at its opposite end. The closed end is cupped at 23 to provide a centering seat for the end of the lead 18 without gripping the same. Slidingly engaging and projecting through the aperture 22 is an elongated stem 24 which preferably conforms in cross sectional shape to the aperture so as to permit relative longitudinal movement between the stem and sleeve but insure simultaneous rotation thereof. The outer extremity of the stem is pivotally attached to the body of a plug 25 having the enlarged knurled head 26 adapted to abut the end of the barrel 9 when the body 25 is forced into the bore thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. ln order to cause the exterior of the plug 25 to firmly grip the interior of the barrel 9 to hold the parts in assembled relation, the body thereof has a slightly greater cross sectional dimension than the bore of the barrel, and is slotted as shown at 27 so as to permit the portions at opposite sides of the slot to spring towards each other when the plug is forced into the barrel. ln order to permit such action and at the same time pivot the stem 24 within the slot 27, a pin 28 tightly fitting the upper portion but,loosely fitting the lower portion of a hole extending through the plug, is employed, such construction being clearly indicated by the dotted lines in the drawing.

The gripping faces of the jaws which contact the lead 18 are of appreciable length so as to firmly hold the lead whenl in contact therewith and center the same. The provisionof an extended area of contact together with the centering action of the cupped depression 23 positively assures the lead being stably held, and yet permits the lead to be quickly fed by gravity upon releasing the s clutch jaws whenever such method of feeding is desirable.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Depression of the head 26 causes reciprocation of the barrel 9 forcing the clutch 11 outwardly to permit the jaws 16 to spring apart. With the parts in such position, a lead 18 can be readily inserted, the inner end of which is caused to abut the cup shaped depression 23 in the closed end of' the sleeve 21. Release of pressure upon head 26 permits spring 11 to retract the clutch 14 and in doing so the inclined sui'- faces 17 co-act with the flared open end 6 of the tip 2 to force the jaws 16 into intimate binding contact with the surface of the lead, and due to the appreciable length` of the jaws assures the same being stably held.

In order to feed the lead 18 as it is worn away the same is preferably propelled outwardly by rotating the head 26. The barrel 9, due toits snug fit within the tip 2 together with the locking action resulting from contact of the opposite ends of the spring 11 against the shoulder 8 and collar 10, is held against turning movement. liotation of the head 26 therefore causes the plug 25 to turn within the barrel together with its attached stem 24, which in turn rotates the sleeve 21. Rotation of sleeve 2l due to its threaded connection with the nut 19 results in longitudinal movement thereof which forces the lead 18 outwardly, the gripping action of jaws 16 not being sufficient to prevent such action. lf for any reason the lead tends to bind, a slight inward pressure on the head 26 will relieve the same. llefore replenishing the pencil with a new lead-v the sleeve 21 is retracted a sufiicient distance to accommodate the abutting surface 23 to the length of lead to be inserted.

lf it becomes desirable to vfeed the lead very quickly at any time, it is merely necessary to hold the pencil vertically with the tip downwards and depress the head 26 to release the jaws 16, in which instance the lead will freely fall under gravity. .lhis provides a quicker adjustment than that produced by turning the head 26 and in certain characters of work is found to he a great lconvenience. After such quick adjustment, the sleeve 21 may be subsequently moved to'bring the abutment 23 against the end of the lead to form a rigid centering backing therefor. r1`he length of the jaws 16, however, is sufficient to accurately center the lead and under ordinary circumstances will prevent the lead sliding back into the holder during use. ln using very soft leads. which are apt to be marred by the biting action ofthe jaws, it is also found convenj which the same Maaate ient to iemploy the quick gravity feed, subsequently moving the abutment 23 into contac-t with the lead as above explainedor to relieve lthe biting effect of the jaws while simultaneously propelling wardly.

If it is desirable to protect the lead point so as to enable the pencil to be carried without danger of breakage, it is merel necessary to retract'-the sleeve 21 slight y, then hold the pencil with the point upwardly while releasing the gripping jaws, thus allowing the lead to fall back into the holder sufficiently to guard its point One of the great disadvantages and inconveniences incident to many of the-so-called gravity feed pencils now in use is that while affording a quick and easy method of feeding and retracting the lead "fails to provide a firm and unyielding backing for the lead so that if substantial pressure is vapplied to the lead it will be forced backwardly into the holder. By providing the longitudinal movable propelling abutment and combining it with the gravityrelease feed, as above described, the advantages of either may be secured, or the two' feeds used independently A of each other. The provision 'of a movable abutment which may be brought into contact with the lead to contact the same after the so-called quick gravity feed is considered as one of the most important features of the invention, since this always assures an absolutely firm backing for the lead, preventing its being forced backwardly into the holder due to ressure exerted upon its point during use. llglhis feature together with the stability with which the lead is held against lateral play adapts the quirements of the drafting profession for has been particularly designed.

Although the leadsused may be pointed or sharpened in any desired manner, it has been found very convenient to employ the pencil itself as a holder for the lead while subjected to the action of sharpening devices requiring an accurate positioning of the lead. For this purpose an appreciable length of the tip 2 has been made4 cylindrical in form and of uniform cross sectional dimension, with the parts therein symmetrically formed and arranged, so that the longitudinal axes of the gripped lead and the cylindrical portion of the pencil tip coincide. It vis thus seen that by inserting the cylindrical portion of the tip within any guide passage of considerable length which is circular in cross section and has a diameter corresponding to tion, the lead gripped by the pencil may be very accurately the sharpening devices employed. A sharpening device utilizing this feature and inthe lead outpencil to the exacting re' that of the said pord centered with respect toing profession, and one which may be economically manufactured and easily repaired.

l1 claimr' 1. A- pencil comprising a barrel slidably mounted in said body, clutch jaws attached to one extremity of the barrel cooperating with an open end of said body, a spirally grooved sleeve mounted within the barrel and provided with an abutment for contacting the lead, a lug on the interi'or of the barrel engaging the spiral groove of the sleeve and means for rotating the/ sleeve and longitudinally moving the barrel.

2. A pencil comprising a hollow body, a barrel slidably mounted in said body, clutch jaws attached to one extremity of the barrel cooperatin with an open end of said body, means or urging the barrel in one direction, an eXteriorly threaded sleeve disposed within the barrel and provided with a closed end serving as an abutment for a hollow body,y

to the rigid requirements of the draft.,-

the lead, a nut fixed to the interior of the i barrel cooperatingwith the threads on the sleeve andl a single actuating means for rotating the sleeve and reciprocating the barrel.

3. A pencil comprising a hollow body provided with an internal shoulder adjacent one end, a barrel slidably fitting within the bore of said body and adapted to contact the shoulder to limit its movement, a spring for urging the barrel away from said shoulder, a slotted clutch fixed to the barrel and cooperating with the open end of the body ad jacent the shoulder, a movable abutment disposed within the barrel, said abutment and .barrel having inter-engaging portions normally preventing relative longitudinal movement except upon rotation of said abutment, i \and a single means for rotating the abutment and longitudinally moving the said barrel.

4. A pencil comprising a hollow body, a removable cylindrical barrel mounted in said body, a clutch in the form of a slotted cyliner to form gripping jaws thereon fixed to the barrel and extending beyond the body,

the internal gripping `faces ofsaid jaws being of .appreciable length and of gradually increaslng cross sectional (ihinension cooperating with the open end of the body to actuate the jaws, an abutment havin threaded engagement with the Interior o the barrel, a rotatable closure for the end of the barrel opposite the clutch and a connection between said closure 'and abutment for rotating the same.

5. A pencil comprising a hollow body, a removable barrel slidably mounted therein and havin gripping jaws attached thereto extending eyon one end of the body, said vjaws being provided with elon ated gripping faces and with an enlarge outer end which cooperates with the terminal bore of the body, means for constantly urging the barrel in one direction to move the jaws to gripping position, an exteriorly threaded sleeve disposed within lthe barrel engaging a correspondingly internally threaded portion on said barrel, said sleeve having a cupped depression at one end and serving as an abutment for the lead, a rotatable plug filling the open end of the barrel opposite the gripping jaws for longitudinally moving the barrel, and an operative connection between said plug and sleeve to rotate the latter.

6. A pencil comprising a hollow body consisting of a holder portion and a tip portion, an appreciable'length of the extremity of the tip portion being of reduced diameter and of cylindrical form, a cylindrical barrel slidably mounted in the body and provided at one extremity with gripping jaws co-acting with the open end of the tip portion, the other lextremity of the barrel extending slightly beyond the holder portion, means for constantly urging the barrel to such eX- tended position, a longitudinally movable abutment disposedA within and having threaded engagement with the interior of the barrel, a rotatable plug filling the bore at the projecting extremity of the barrel and having an enlarged head to contact the end thereof, an operative ,connection between said plug and abutment whereby to rotate, the abutment to cause longitudinal movement thereof, the cylindrical barrel together' with its associated arts being removable as a unit from the sald hollow bod 7. A pencil com )rising a hollow liody provided with a hol er portion and a tip portion, an internal annular shoulder` adjacent the ti portion, the holder portion having an en urged bore forming a second annular shoulder, a cylindrical barrel slidably mounted within the body andv protruding slightly beyond the holder portion, the first named shoulder serving as a limiting stop for the inner end of the barrel, a collar ad- 'jacent the outer projecting extremity, a coil spring surrounding the barrel and interposed between the second named shoulder and said `collar for constantly urging the same outwardly, a ferrule-on the extremity of the holder abutting the collar to maintain the barrel within the body, gripping jaws at.- tached to the inner end of the barrel extending through and cooperating with the open end of the bore of said tip 4portion for actuating the same, an exterior-ly threaded sleeve having threaded engagement with the said barrel, one end of the sleeve serving as an abutment for the lead and the other haring an aperture of non-circular cross section, a headed plug filling the protruding end of the barrel, said plug having a slotted body whereby to resiliently grip the interior of the barrel and an elongated stem corresponding in Cross section to the aperture in the sleeve attached to the plug and extending through the said aperture.

In testimony whereof, l sign my name.

CHARLES SONNEBORN. vVitnessz EDWIN O. JOHNS. 

